Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following question: “how can I get sponsors for my small business?” Show
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Submit You know your business’s value. After all, it is YOUR business! Not everyone else will know what you are capable of, though, so you will have to spread the word. One way to do this is by securing a sponsorship. What Sponsorships Are & Why They WorkAs defined by Investopedia, “corporate sponsorship is a form of marketing in which a company pays for the right to be associated with a project or program. … Corporations may have their logos and brand names displayed alongside the organization undertaking the project or program, with specific mention that the corporation has provided funding.” With the above definition in mind, here’s why this matters to a small business. Starting out, you might not have the reputation that other larger companies have. That is totally normal. Sponsorships work for businesses because you can benefit from the publicity, reputation, and resources of a larger organization. A corporate sponsor has already had the time to develop a name, reputation, and following. Through showing their support for your business, they are essentially saying “we support you.” The benefits of having a corporate sponsor, from a marketing standpoint, are twofold. First, you can get your name out to their audience. Second, you can show your already existing audience that you’re doing well enough to get a big corporation to back you. Corporations don’t just indiscriminately back everything that looks cool, and your customers know that. Landing a SponsorHow you land a sponsor will differ based on the nature of your business and your industry. Some of the basics stay the same, though. You need to understand your product and your market position. You need to be able to clearly demonstrate product-market fit with your specific target market. Think about your corporate sponsor’s needs. They want to reach a specific niche or audience. If your business can reach out to their desired audience, that’s how you benefit them. Make sure you can do that and make sure you can show them how. Lastly, your business needs to have a good plan. Your financials need to be grounded in reality and you need to have a way to scale up if you receive more work as a result of the sponsorhip. Remember: this isn’t just a marketing deal. It’s also a financial one. Final ThoughtsSponsorships can propel your business to the next level. Though they can be hard to land, doing so will pay off in the end. Remember to know your business inside and out, show your corporate sponsors how you will meet their needs, and show them why this is a smart investment on their part. How to ask for sponsorship and get a yes (plus, what sponsors really want in return and how to get sponsorships on auto-pilot) nonprofit Feb 2 Written By Andrea Shirey Updated: August 2022 Events are a staple in the nonprofit world, and corporate sponsorships serve to shoulder some of the expense while also building community relationships that extend far beyond the life of the event. Unfortunately, many nonprofits take the wrong approach when seeking corporate sponsorships. They focus on the wrong things, communicate poorly, and think too short-term. The good news is that plenty of opportunities are available to raise those sponsorship dollars if you can approach the situation differently.
To set yourself apart from other nonprofits asking for sponsorship dollars, you have to start thinking about the company more than you’re thinking about your own event. In other words, when you put the focus on the company, you’ll start speaking their language and demonstrate the value of investing with you. This guide will walk you through what it looks like to the company at the center of your sponsorship process, preparing before you ask for money and ensuring that future events are sustainable with repeat sponsorships on auto-pilot. So what does this look like? Since I’ve been on both the asking end and the receiving end of this conversation, let’s look at the following components of nonprofit event sponsorship:
A quick note for business owners: If you’re on the corporate end of this equation, communicate with your local nonprofits asking for help, and be upfront with them. I’m working on a guide for you (coming soon) but for now, focus on partnering with your community over trying to squeeze advertising opportunities out of every sponsorship. You are no stranger to corporate events, and your insights into this process can be very valuable for nonprofits. And, if you’re just starting an LLC, keep this approach in mind as you launch your new business! Defining sponsorships: What is a corporate sponsor?A corporate sponsor is a business that gives either financial resources or tangible items for the specific purpose of underwriting the cost of an event. In most cases, corporate sponsors expect some form of recognition in return for their donations. This differs from an outright corporate gift which is treated like a regular donation under charitable tax laws. It’s essential to communicate with the sponsoring company about the tax implications of corporate sponsorship and consult your tax advisor about the deductibility of the sponsorship. What do companies want in return for their sponsorship?WAIT! Instead of blazing into someone’s email inbox promising logo placement everywhere you can think of in exchange for a tiny sponsorship amount, consider taking a more analytical approach. The list of what companies actually want in return for their sponsorship dollars is usually fairly simple:
How to ask for sponsorships: Four questions to consider before you make the askI know you must complete it, move on with event details, and meet the printer deadlines. But when you rush to ask, you’re more likely to overlook better-fit sponsors, accept less revenue in exchange for quick wins, and sacrifice future sponsorship dollars for the sake of crossing it all off your list. Before you put together a list of sponsorship benefits or ask for a single dollar, ask these questions:
Sponsor benefits examplesRemember that list above of what corporate sponsors really want? Let’s keep that in mind once you have answered the pre-ask questions. Then, you can begin to re-think the benefits you’re prepared to offer. A few to consider include:
Communicating with sponsors before and after the eventIt’s no longer enough to send a proposal blindly to someone’s email, hope they open and read it, request a check, and send it to you. While it might happen as a fluke now and again, nonprofits need to be much more strategic if they hope to raise serious money from sponsorships. So how do you communicate with sponsors to ensure you’re building a relationship and not just conducting a transaction?
How to secure annual sponsors on auto-pilotIf your nonprofit has just a single event or two each year for which you seek sponsorships, it’s probably sufficient to use the method I’ve already described to ask for corporate sponsors. With excellent communication and follow-up, renewing those sponsors from year to year is likely to be easy. However, if your organization holds multiple events annually (more than three), using an annual sponsorship model may be worth considering. What’s an annual sponsorship program?An annual sponsorship program is where you ask one company to sponsor all of the events in the year. The sponsorship cost is typically less than the total sum of all the events, but the payoff is much greater for you.
There are really no drawbacks to this method of corporate sponsorship other than the work it takes to find companies that are a good fit for every event. Even then, when marketed as a partner program vs. a one-off event sponsor, the recognition is excellent for the company regardless of the event itself. Event Sponsors: FAQs
Final thoughts on asking for sponsorshipGet the template that makes the sponsorship process easy! The bottom line is that you need to keep the focus on the company - not on you. When they see you deliver on your word, attend your event, or get your email recap, they’ll have no trouble understanding what you do and why you do it and likely become future supporters. And, if you’re event has moved online or using a hybrid approach… Just because you’re moving your events online doesn’t mean you can’t still raise some serious cash through sponsorships. You’ll just need to be more strategic in who you approach, communicate better, and deliver on your promises. Want a shortcut to creating a sponsorship proposal? If you want some help skipping the design process and crafting the emails, you can grab my Sponsorship Template and Guide over in the Nonprofit Template Shop. It’s a three-page proposal template, plus it has email text you can copy and use to save you tons of time. And I’ve included a customizable Google form you can use to have sponsors submit their commitment to you online, upload their logo, etc. Here’s what a recent template shop buyer had to say about this template: “This template just saved us tons of time, and we landed a yes within one day of sending out our new pitch - thank you!” Want to see an example of how it’s been used? Check out this PDF of how a Boys & Girls Club adapted the template for their campaign sponsorships! (link opens a PDF) Open Sponsorship Template Until next time, I’ll be here cheering you as you take your message and impact to the world! Andrea
Related Posts What should your nonprofit digital marketing strategy include? The 7 sections every nonprofit marketing plan should cover (with a template to help) How do I find sponsors for my business?How to Get a Sponsorship: 8 Key Tactics. Research potential sponsors. Look at your existing supporters. ... . Tell your organization's story. ... . Provide sponsor incentives. ... . Reach out to established companies. ... . Use data to legitimize your pitch. ... . Find the right contact. ... . Build a connection over time. ... . Follow up.. Who can I ask to sponsor me?You have to think of sponsorship more like marketing than corporate philanthropy. Your sponsors won't just give you money to get nothing back.. Banks.. Hotels.. Grocery chains.. Insurance companies.. Food brands.. Beer brands.. Major retailers.. Airlines.. Can you get sponsors to start a business?Sponsorships can propel your business to the next level. Though they can be hard to land, doing so will pay off in the end. Remember to know your business inside and out, show your corporate sponsors how you will meet their needs, and show them why this is a smart investment on their part.
How do I find a sponsor online?How to Get Online Event Sponsors. 10 Strategies for Finding a Sponsor for Your Online Events or Conferences. ... . Find Event Sponsors Who Share Your Company Values. ... . Find Event Sponsors Who Work in a Related Field. ... . Offer Something of Value to Your Online Event Sponsors. ... . Run a Paid Campaign to Find Event Sponsors and Attendees.. |